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FIFA lifts suspension on Guatemala

FIFA Thursday lifted a suspension imposed on Guatemala 18 months ago over its failure to comply with anti-corruption rules.

The suspension prevented Guatemalan teams from participating in international competitions such as the Gold Cup, the Central American Games and the CONCACAF Champions League.

"FIFA has today lifted the suspension that was imposed on the Guatemalan Football Association" Fedefut, it said in a statement.

Football's governing body said it made the decision after receiving a letter from Juan Carlos Rios, the head of a FIFA-appointed "Normalization Committee" to oversee the Fedefut. The letter confirmed that the committee was operational.

The suspension "is lifted with immediate effect, restoring all its rights as a federation member of FIFA," Rios told a press conference. "It is a very happy day for us."

FIFA sanctioned Guatemala in October 2016 after it failed to authorize the normalization committee after an international corruption scandal that rocked world football.

Former Fedefut general secretary Hector Trujillo was the first person brought down in the scandal to be sentenced to jail, given eight months by a judge in New York in October for wire fraud.